Procession of the Aeons
by Ilmarinen
Summary: A crossroads deal escalated beyond what anyone had imagined. Sam, Dean and Castiel on the brink of death receive help from an unexpected f r iend.


Warwick, Rhode Island

A cold and stormy night, the sky lit up with lightning. A small, slender woman, mid-twenties, peacefully reads her book. A howling breaks out the window which the rain pounds relentlessly, interrupted by vicious growling. She glances over her shoulder out the window briefly, giving it little attention and returns to her readings. The growling becomes louder and more violent before a window across the room shatters jolting her to a standing position. The growling continues and scratch marks grind into the thick wood floor inching ever forward to the woman. She backs up one step.

"Hellhounds? Come to claim my body and drag my soul to the depths of hell?"

The scratches cease, the growling becomes louder as a Hellhound joins the intruders flank. A dozen strong guttural breaths consume the silence of the room.

"Give a message to your master for me"

Her eyes cover over in a black pitch and a draught fills the room as she steps forward when the hellhounds are torn asunder. The night sky lights up for but a brief second and the silence shattered by the squealing of the hounds.

The cold silence dawning is more terrifying then the Hellhounds themselves.

Moonspell – Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)

_They thought that love sacred_

_ Until they met the desecrator_

_ A sea of poison came in between them_

_ And there was red on the ground below_

Sam looks over at Dean driving the Impala down another nameless highway in a lost and equally dark forest. A thin mist covers the road as rain pellets run down the headlights and streak across the windows.

'Okay dude, seriously, turn this crap off' and the volume shuts quickly off.

Dean 'someone fell off the wrong side of the stairs this morning' Sam rolls his eyes. 'Anyways what's this you got us driving to Rhode Island for?'

Sam 'well there have been 14 reports of animal mutilations from this week alone, all from the same town. And get this; they're not cattle, they almost entirely cats, dogs and two birds.' Sam showing a confused look glances at dean and expects the same look to be answered back to him.

Dean 'I'm sorry, first off, not a cat person, second...why are we driving halfway across the country for a couple cats? I mean I know you love cats...in a totally unhealthy way which I can't...and hope never to understand, but don't we have bigger things on our plate, you know...like stopping Lucifer?'

Sam shaking off Deans comment adds 'Ok first off, nothing wrong with cats, second there have also been 14 missing persons reports in the same week...doesn't strike you as...even slightly weird?'

'Alright, alright let's see what we have'

In another cheap motel room, Dean opens the door to Sam at his laptop and drops the cheap diner food in front of him. The smell of Dean's burger with extra...extra onions churns his stomach and pushes it away casually while Dean grins widely and bites into his burger.

Sam "Ok, so I've made all the calls to last people in contact with the missing persons reports, most recently being a woman named Simone Simmons, who made a number of complaints about strange animal behaviour such as dog fights in the area...like intense fights but no one saw or heard these animals." Sam looks to Dean giving a look as a hint to what he meant.

Too add and confirm "Animal control was called and they couldn't find anything, not even traces of a fight"

Dean "...crap, Hellhounds, I love Hellhounds, just Beau-"

A short gust of wind glides through the hotel with Castiel appearing, with blood on his face but no apparent injuries.

Dean "-tiful"

Castiel "Dean...did you just call me beautiful?"

"Wha-no? I was just saying-dammit nevermind...what is up with the blood Norman Bates?"

"Who is Norman Bates?"

Dean pulls an exaggerated screaming face while making stabbing motions with his hand.

"Havent seen psycho?...no before your time"

Castiel "...ok...well this is not my blood, this is the blood of several Hellhounds circling this town. Something is attracting them, and there is a dark power at work here."

Sam "What the hell would draw that many hellhounds in one area?"

Dean "Well hellhounds go for people who sold their soul to the crossroads right? Maybe they're converging on their kibbles and human bits?"

Castiel "this power I felt is like nothing I have seen, It blocks even my sight, I don't think its human...At least not anymore. But it, whatever it is lives on the outskirts of a field plain. This must die for it is a matter of time before a dark will bends its hand against humanity."

Sam "Well whats the plan? Bust down the front door and light the place with deer buck? We don't even know what the hell this thing is"

Dean "Whatever it is, we need to move fast, this things taking victims like I take-"

Sam and Castiel simultaneously look at Dean suspiciously...

Dean "er nevermind...so whats next?"

A bright light consumes the room and fades into a dark field devoid of all life. Sam, reappearing slightly above the ground hits it with a thud. Simultaneously, Dean turns and throws up.

Dean "Dammit Cas! What the hell was with the rough-". Dean turns and gags again trying to hold his burger down, but tasting the onions nevertheless. "-with the rough beam over? Piss off Scotty in the transporter room or something?"

Castiel "I don't get that reference, and it was rough because something doesn't want us here. I tried to take us to that farm." Castiel points to a decrepit building, dying and withered in the vast distance. "Now we walk.'

The land was devoid of all life save for a watchful grow perched on a rotted tree. It was twilight and light was rapidly fading but the slow from the dusty ground led the way to whatever force they approached. Sam and Dean exchanged brief glances both sharing the same concern: "what the hell is strong enough to pull an Angel racing at the speed of light out of the air."

The three walk up to the house all silent and nervous. What has the power to hold an angel of the lord at bay? Dean and Sam exchange worried looks as Castiel surveys the landscape silently. The house stood decrepit telling them to leave their faith behind, hope does not live here. Boards hundreds of years old served as the battered barrier against the now crimson winds. Sam and Dean felt the tension mount as they approached.

Castiel "Let us go forth".

They silently drew their pistols and stormed the house clearing the rooms one by one before Dean is thrown against the wall by an invisible force with Sam quickly following and Castiel trapped in holy fire.

Dean "well that was quick... who the hell-". For the first time, Dean looks at the girl holding him suspended marvelling in her beauty. Her eyes spoke of an age passed and held a soul much older than the body. "-are you? What are demons doing killing cats? What did they do to you?"

The girl replied "Demon? Hardly. No, im human"

Castiel looking shocked and leaned forward glaring to get a better look. He peered into her soul and backed to his original position.

Castiel "She speaks the truth, she is human...her soul is not what it once was...its dark...and old".

Sam "Demon blood"

The girl "again talk of demons? No this is not the work of demon blood. This is the work of hundreds of years of practice. This is the work of sacrifice. I was once like you, and I found someone who offered me a deal."

Dean "Crossroads deal? Explains the Hellhounds circling this place...You moronic idiot, how the hell are you still alive?"

The girl "my name is Elizabeth and I am a sorceress, I was the start...and end of the witch crisis. I have lived through ages."

Sam "but how? Crowley offer you the deal of a lifetime?"

Elizabeth "Crowley? He had yet to be born for three centuries before I was awakened...no my power came from someone...Older...the first. The one you killed Sam...Lilith. I have yet you thank you for that. She would have come tearing for my soul first had you not been on her 'to kill' list. Priorities i guess."

Castiel "Those animals...they were familiars?"

Elizabeth "Animals? Oh yes, those hellhounds attacked my familiars on a regular basis."

Dean then realized to himself, if those animals were familiars then the people missing were the souls in the familiars. Human souls were needed as an intermediate gateway to the power of the supernatural, without them she was powerless.

Castiel "Abomination. I will set your heart aflame and drag your soul to hell myself. When you hold an angel, make sure it's not on a wood floor."

With these words, the floor split in a flash of light breaking the circle and releasing Sam and Dean. Castiel rushed Elizabeth, but in a flash of blinding light, disappeared.

Elizabeth "If I can trap an angel without holy oil, chances are I am stronger than him. Now where was I?"

Dean "how is it that you? Just a girl, swing a deal with the head honcho and gain the mojo of Jim Morrison?"

Elizabeth "Lilith didn't expect me to gain this much strength. In time I was able to fend off the Hellhounds she sent day after day. One day I felt her strength leave this world and like a magnet, her power found a new host within me. My familiars became subject to the attacks however to limit my power."

Sam "So your useless without your familiars, your weak."

Elizabeth "Silence incestuous pus"

With a motion of her arm, Sam's back broke the studs and the wall began to give way. His face strained in pain crushing on his chest calling out for someone to help.

Elizabeth "No, they act as a lens to the power of the realm. Their deaths are but a...setback. People grow ever suspicious and I have to relocate. You're not the first hunter I've come across and hell I bet Heinrich Institoris himself would have wanted a stab at me. You however will never see another sunrise."

With this she, herself was thrown against the wall and surrounded in a blue fire. Her eyes as dark as her soul had grown and fear crossing her face. It was clearly a sensation she was not accustomed to and this jarred her from her confidence.

Lucifer walked in with a flash of his glowing red and black flaming wings. A slight grin crossed his face. The power of his presence sent tremors through the earth and flame followed his footsteps and engulfed his hands. Both Sam and Dean were horrified yet relieved they had not met their end.

"I ALLOWED you to live to serve as a harbinger of hell. You nearly destroy my vessel and toss my brother across the planet?"

So he said and the house shook breaking the windows and cracking the weakening beams. Dean realized they needed to get out there and quick...slightly difficult given he was pinned against a wall three feet off the ground.

In a step, the room lit up in a conflagration. She raised her hand which was alight with white fire which she threw at Lucifer burning the skin off his arm. If he felt it, he made no show and the hit surely would have killed any man. He stepped forward and a bright light shone within the body of Elizabeth as she slowly burned from the inside and in a last attempt effort at self preservation, she laid waste to the area in a burst of light.

Sam and Dean jumped up in their motel room with Castiel having blood on his face, this time his own.

Dean "perfect timing as always...what the hell happened?"

Castiel gasping and wiping the blood from his face, "well as you know, Lilith offered her power in return for her soul. Elizabeth must have found a way to push her powers to the point she was able to hold off hellhounds and eventually being able to bar angels."

Sam "and what? Lucifer came to take her soul himself?"

Castiel "What would you do with the most dangerous human competition?"

Dean "I have a disturbing question, if she was human...how many more exist like her that need to be ganked by the devil?"


End file.
